Knife-blade switch



H 1. L. FRANK. KNIFE BLADE'SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED AUG- 7, I918- Patented May 13', 1919.:

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. and Improved Knife-Blade termediate its ends UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON .1. L. RANK, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

KNIFE-BLADE swrrcm residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne have invented a new Switch, of which the following is a: specification.

and State of Michigan,

This invention relates to the construction of 'the supports or clips of knife -blade switches, and itsobjeot is to provide identical supports and clips of a good-conducting metal which shall be resiliently held in proper adjustment to receive the switch as either supblades, and which maybe used ports eras clips as may be desired so that the blades may be reversed when desired.

This invention consists in a support or clip provided with pa "allel jaws between which the switch-blade may be inserted, the jaws being provided with alined holes to receive a rivet, and a spring'mounted inon the rivct outside of one of the jaws, one end of the spring nornially pressing against the free end of the jaw on which it is mounted, and the other end ofv the spring being provided with fingers to prevent the spring'from turning on its rivet. It further consists in forming the spring and the jaws with alined holes to receive a screw on' which the switch-blade may be mounted when the device is to be 'used as arsupport, the screw also determining the pressure'betwee'n the jaws and the blades, the screw being omitted when the device is to be used as a clip, It also consists in forming a projection on this spr ng;

screw-hole, which prpjectlon another of the notches formed face of the screw head, wherebe held at any desired adin the details of adjacent the enters one or in the bearing by the screw may jnstment. It also consists construction illustrated in the acconipaiying drawing and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In thedrawing, Figure 1 is a plan of a knife-blade switch having three blades. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one of the supports. Fig. l is a section on the line 4-4 of a plan of a blank for the tensioning spring for the jaws of the support. Fig. (3 is a section on the line 6-4} of Fig. 3.

- Similar reference characters refer to like arts throughout the several views.

The base 1 of the switch shown is preferably of slate, marble or other good insu- Fig. 3. Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ness and resilience.

' through a hole screws 8 and blades I Patented May 13.1919.

Application filed August 7, 1918. Serial No. 248,675.

lating material and to it are secured the clamps 2 for the usual fuses 3. The screws 1 serve as terminals in the usual manner. A cross bar 5 of good insulating material carries a handle 6 and to this bar may be socured any number of blades 7. These blades are each pivoted on a screw ,8 which extends through a. smooth hole in the jaw 9 and through athreaded hole in the jaw 10 of a support 11 which is bent up from a strip of good conducting metal, such as hard copper, and which also has considerable stiff- The supports 11 are duplicates of the clips 13 between whose jaws the blades are forced to close the circuits between the screws & and the screws 1* which are carried to the base by means by short bars 15 secured of screws 16 that extend through the holes 17 in the" supports 11. Similar screws extend through similar holes in the clamps 2 and the clips 18-into threaded holes in the short bars 18 to hold the clamps and clips in position.

' Each clip 13 is provided with a rivet 19 which passes through the jaws 9 and 10 and 20 in a small plate 22 of spring-metal formed with ears 23 that may be bent around theedges of the jaw 9. shownin Figafi and 1. This spring plate being held in position by the heads of the rivet insures a predetermined pressure between the jaws 9 and 10 and the blade 7 when the latter is forced in between the jaws of a clip. The upper end of this spring is cupped to outer face of the jaw 9, and is formed with a small tooth 21 that enters the notches '25 in the bearing face of'the head-26 of the pivot screw 8. A nut 27 may be' screwed onto the outer end of the screw 8 to lock it in position and also to relieve the metal of the aw 10 from the stress of the screw.

One of the jaws of each support and, clip is preferably forined with a small inwardlyextending projection 28 to limit the move ment of the blade between the jaws when the device is used as a clip. The location of this projection is such that the"switch-blade will be prevented from striking tlie rivet l which can therefore always move freely and will not be battered up by the snitch-blade. As the'clips, and supports ma v n removcdfrom one set and 'n'iountcd on the other so that without any adjustments or additions of bear along its edge against the vare ideutii-al the,

25 extending through 'saictholes,

' 3o ends, and a screw them, a spring plate on the outer, side of one of the jaws, said jaws and spring having alined holes intermediate their ends, a rivet extending through said holes, said spring having ears engaging the adjacent jaw to prevent the spring from turning on the rivet, said jaws and spring also having another set of alined holes nearer their free ends, and ascrew extending through said holes to receive 'a switch-blade.

2. A switch clip having a pair of jaws adapted to receive a switch-blade between them, a spring plate 011 the outer side of one of the jaws, said jaws and spring having alined holes intermediate their ends, a rivet said spring having ears engaging the adjacent jaw to prevent the spring from turning on' the rivet, said jaws and spring also having another set of alin ed holes nearer their free extending through said holes, to receive a switch-blade, the underside of the screw being notched, said spring being formed with a projection adapted to I enter said notches to prevent the screw from turning 3. A switch clip having a pair adapted to receive a switch-blade them, aspring plate on the outer side of one of, the jaws, said jaws and spring hav- 40 ing alined holes intermediate their ends,

I and a rivet extending through said holes the spring determining the pressure of the jaws upon the switchblade, one of. said jaws being formed with an inwardly extending projection to limit -the. movement of the switcl1-blade and a pivot for the switch-blade independent of said rivet. v

4. A switch clip'having a pair of jaws adapted to receive a switch-blade between them, a spring plate on the outer side of one of the jaws, said jaws and spring having alined holes intermediate their ends, said spring having cars at one end bent to en- 'and together with gage the edges of the adjacent jaw, and a rivet extending through said holes and together with the spring determining the pressure of the jaws upon the switch-blade. 5. In a knife-blade switch, the combina- 'tion' of a base plate, a clip and a support mounted thereon and each comprising a pair of jaws adapted to receive a switch-blade between them, "a-spring plate on the outer side of one of the jaws of the of the clip, said jaws and springs having of jaws having one head on the between support and ,alined holes intermediate their ends to receive rivets and at their ends to receive screws, rivets extending through the holes therefor and together with the springs dctermining the pressure of the jaws upon the switch-blade, one of the jaws of the support and of the clip being formed with an inwardly extending projection to limit the movement of the switch-blade, and a screw extending through the holes therefor in the support,-and a blade mounted on said screw.

6. In a' knife-blade switch, the combination of a pair of similar blade receiving members each adapted to act as a support or as a clip, each formed with a pair of jaws and with a spring plate on the outerside of one of (the jaws and with two sets of alined holes extending through the jaws and spring plate, a rivet extending through one of the sets of holes of each member and having ope head on the outside of the spring plate so as to cause the jaws to be resiliently held toward each other, a screwrxtending tl'n'ouglrthe other set of holes in one of the members, and a switch-blade mounted on said screw.

7. in a knife-blade switclnthe combination of a pair of similar blade receiving mcmbers each adapted to act as a support or-as a clip, jaws and with a spring plate on the outer side of one ofthe jaws and with two sets of alined holes extending through the jaws and spring plate, a rivet extending through one of the sets of holes of each member and plate soas to cause the jaws to be resiliently held toward each other, a screw extending through the other set of holes in one of the members, and a switch-blade mounted on said screw, the head of said screw being formed with notches in its bearing surface and the spring plate being formed with a tooth which enters said notches and thereby secures the screw.

8. In a knife-blade switch, the combina tion of a pair of similar blade receiving members each adapted to act as a support or as a clip, each formed with a pair of jaws and with a spring plate on the outer side of one of the jaws and with two sets of alined holes extending through the jaws and spring plate. a rivet extending through one of the sets of holes of each member and having one head on the outside of the spring plate so as to cause the jaws to be resiliently held toward each other. a screw extending through the other set of holes in one of the members, and a switch-blade mounted on said screw. one of the jaws on each or said members being formed with a projection extending into the path of the switch-blade to limit its movement and prevent it from engaging said rivets.

9. A. switch clip having a pair of jaws each formed with a pair of 10o outside of the spring adapted to receive a Switchblade between them, a spring plate on the outside of one of the' jaws said jaws and spring having alined holes near their ends adapted to re ceive a screw or rivet for fastening the blade, means independent of the screw or rivet for fastening the spring to the jaw, and means to prevent the spring from. turning out ofalinement with thejaws.

'10. A switch clip having a pair of jaws adapted to receive a switch blade between them, a spring plate on the outside of one of said jaws, said jaws and spring having alined holes adapted to receive a screw, and

adapted to receive a switch alined holes a screw extending through said holes, said spring "plate and the head of'the screw leev HARRISON J. L. FRANK. 

